Could I Be a Swattie? Chance Me

Colleges and Universities A-Z Swarthmore College
1

<p>Female
Anticipated Major: English
Class of 2008
Private High School</p>

<p>GPA: 3.8 something (unweighted)
Class rank: No idea, must be top 5-10% though</p>

<p>SAT I: Verbal 720, Math 590 (bleh, hope I can bring that up), Writing 740
SAT II: US History 630, English 610</p>

<p>Years of Classes Taken/Will Be Taken:
5 English (doubled Jr year)
4 History
4 Math, high level courses
3 Science
4 Language, French
3 Art
My school offers 4 AP classes, I took 2</p>

<p>EC
Admissions Tour Guide (9-12), Assist. Coordinator (11), Coordinator, (12)
StuCo Rep (12)
Yearbook, Copy Editor (11), Senior Editor (12)
Discipline Committee (11-12)
Wilderness Backpacking Orientation Leader (12)
Spring Trip Canyoneering Leader (11)
GSA founding member
Comm. Service: Grounds/Landscaping (spring/fall, 4 hr/week), (9-10)
Biodiesel (fall, 4 hr/week) (9)
Preschool Volunteer (winter, 3-4 hr/week) (9-10)
Campus Recycling Volunteer (fall, 4 hr/week) (10)
Habitat for Humanity
High Honor Roll, (9-11)
Holden Scholar and Citizen, (9-11)
Award for Academic Excellence, (9,11)
Recreational Telemark skiing,
Ultimate frisbee team
Restaurant Buser (20 hr/week)</p>

<p>Hoping to go to Senegal in the spring to do volunteer work.</p>

<p>I don't really stack up as well, score-wise, with many of the people getting "chanced" for Swarthmore, but I did have a fantastic interview with a Swat English Honors major, and I can almost guarantee that he thought I was a good match personality-wise...</p>

2

<p>cupcake:</p>

<p>Ethnicity? Location? Give us a little something to provide some context. All the laundry list stuff is going to be evaluated in the context of the opportunities you have had. In other words, a millionaire suburban white student is going to be evaluated in a different context than a first generation college minority.</p>

3

<p>Your chance of being accepted to Swarthmore: 15%.</p>

4

<p>Has your 20 hour/week job been all through high school? Getting those grades with that much of a time commitment to a job would probably look very good. </p>

<p>Your chances will improve a lot if you can bring your math SAT score closer to the other two.</p>

5

<p>I think A.E. was trying to point out that nobody can really tell you if you're good or not. </p>

<p>I remember when I first joined CollegeConfidential, I saw all these chance posts, and thought I'd do one myself. After a while, I realized that chance posts (for me, at least) were really quite useless. And here's my reasoning:</p>

<p>If you truly love or at the very least like the school, and there is no reason to apply to a college or university that you don't like, you would apply, no matter what your chances. So cupcake, I see absolutely no reason why you wouldn't apply, if you're interested in Swarthmore, because I think that if you don't apply, you'll always wonder, "Would I have gotten in?" And, to mix up a common saying, "You'll never know unless you apply."</p>

<p>Also, I am a firm believer that you should never ever do something just to try to impress a college or increase chances (except tests and grades). But I do believe that you should explain as clearly as possible why you want to go to Swarthmore.</p>

<p>I think that college admissions officers, at their very core, want to see a potential Swarthmore student, and you have to try to convey that. I don't think it's worth trying to mold yourself into a Swattie.</p>

<p>So if I were you, cupcake, I would just apply and not worry, because you have a chance.</p>

<p>Also, note that I'm only a high school senior, not a Swarthmore student. But I don't think Swarthmore students or parents or any of that sort can really judge your chances.</p>

<p>I think that college admissions officers really want to find a potential student: Who will contribute to the college and who will use the college's resources? I'm positive that those are the real questions admissions officers ask.</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

<p>Also, try to judge yourself as an applicant, and see if your application conveys yourself as a Swarthmore student.</p>

6

<p>caucasians have a really hard time getting into swat, especially the suburban connecticut types (which i'm guessing you are, based on the fact that youre an admissions tour guide, something that would only be necessary in a private school.) i'd say your scores put you out of range. apply early, though, and see what happens.</p>

7

<p>Hi, that math portion is not up to snuff, nor are the SAT II's. While it is true that noone here has the definitive authority to say whether anyone is in or out, familiarity with stats of accepted students on these boards and rejected students give seasoned cc'ers a good idea of whether one will be accepted or not. Looking at any college guide will tell you that your standardized test scores are too low unless you are a diversity student. I wish you the best.</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
I think A.E. was trying to point out that nobody can really tell you if you're good or not.

[/quote]

No, I was trying to take the data she gave us to come up with my best estimate on the likelihood of her being accepted to Swarthmore. That figure is 15%.</p>

9

<p>Oh! I just thought you said 15% because that's around Swarthmore's acceptance rate. Why do you think the OP has only a 15% chance? Is it because you don't think the OP was challenging herself enough?</p>

10

<p>Okay, I live in small town Colorado, and go to a tiny Colorado private school. I'm not a suburban Connecticut type, but I'm white and my family has a moderate income. I definitely working a lot on that SAT Math score, I know that definitely doesn't reflect well on my math skills. Just by looking at the average scores of those accepted to Swat, I'm in the middle 50% for both verbal and writing. Math, obviously, is way low for most people applying, but the point is that I still have a chance, even if it's a very small one. A.E., I'm curious how you determined that I have a 15% chance.</p>

<p>dchow08 is right, though. Chance Me's are not especially helpful or accurate. The real people that can be sure about whether I have a true chance or not are the ones who will actually go through my application. And even if I do only have a 15% chance, I have to know for myself or I'll spend way too much time wondering if I could have gotten in despite the shortcomings if I had only applied. I know myself better than any random person on a forum halfway across the country does anyways. It's virtually impossible to just look at my "laundry list" of ECs and decide my future. Thanks for at least taking the time to try though.</p>

11

<p>

Only taking two out of four of the AP courses at your school coupled with your performance on the SAT and SAT II show that perhaps your don't have the academic seriousness or horsepower to indicate Swarthmore is a good fit for you. That said, your ECs are pretty strong and show that you're fairly well-rounded. If you can make the most of your essay and get some stellar recommendations, your chances will go up but, based just on the facts and figures you've provided and the escalating competitiveness in admissions at Swarthmore in recent years, I put your chances at 15%.</p>

12

<p>That seems like a pretty good system and based just on stats it makes sense. Thanks.</p>

<p>As for the AP's, at my school there is AP English (I took it because the teacher is amazing, and we'd have intense, worthwhile discussions, NOT for the actual AP test), AP US History (I took it because of the same reasons), AP Environmental Science, and AP Stats. I opted not to take AP Environmental Science because I decided that 1) English was more of a passion and I could double up on it, 2) I dislike the AP Envi Sci teacher who never does anything, and 3) it's a slacker class (not kidding). Sadly, I guess that ends up counting against me. As for not taking AP Stats, my school has two directions that you can go after Algebra II: 1) take Calculus, or 2) take AP Stats/regular Stats. I decided to go with Calc, but I guess that also might count against me (at least it's a pretty high-powered course, actually more so than AP Stats). Too bad, because I don't think I have a chance to explain that to admissions...</p>

13

<p>Cupcake:</p>

<p>The AP courses won't hurt you. Swarthmore would much rather see you taking Calc than AP stat and the full Bio/Chem/Physics sequence than AP Env. Science. That's not an issue.</p>

<p>On the other hand, I don't disagree with AE's assessment. In general, successful applicants towards the low end of Swathmore's test scores tend to be students who bring something unique to the party -- a hook, if you will.</p>

<p>I think it's a challenge for a white prep school applicant to get accepted with test scores below the 50th percentile and, ideally, the 75th percentile.</p>

<p>My advice would be to learn as much as you can about Swarthmore. Then sit down, maybe around the dining room table with your folks, and think about your list of activities and how to present a narrative that allows Swarthmore to envision you as bringing something to campus that will stand out.</p>

14

<p>Thanks interesteddad, that's sound advice. I've known that I should be figuring out what sets me apart, but it just helps to have someone else say what and how to start that.</p>

15

<p>cupcake321 keep asking Interesteddad questions as they come up....he is full of very good advice</p>

<p>I like the fact that you sent him a thank you note...it a Swarthmore kind of thing to do...go for it......</p>